BAY AREA Enjoys Growing ECONOMIC Linkages with NORTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY

In contrast to the rest of the Central Valley, the development of San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Merced counties is being driven more by the growth of the Bay Area and Sacramento than by agriculture. The University of the Pacific’s North San Joaquin Valley Regional Economic Assessment Conference in Modesto drew 75 leaders from the surrounding counties from the public and private sectors. Highlighting the primary conduit between the Northern San Joaquin Valley and the Bay Area, Bay Area Council Economic Institute Vice President Tracey Grose presented findings from the Institute’s recent report, Tri-Valley Rising, that illustrate the growing flows of people and goods through the area. In addition to offering affordable housing for Bay Area workers, Grose explained that the Bay Area’s growing economic ties with the Northern San Joaquin Valley include distribution and manufacturing facilities as well as growing opportunities in the field of smart agriculture.